Utah Travel Headlines

Friday, June 03, 2011

Photographing Utah's Raging Waterfalls

Runoff in Utah's rivers and streams will peak during the next few days. Right now most streams are raging, with very high water, and that has created an unusual opportunity to view and photograph waterfalls.

The number of waterfalls is way up right now, since many washes and ravines that are usually dry now have flowing streams. If you pay attention while you drive up Provo Canyon, you can see several waterfalls bonus from the highway. Normally, you can only see majestic Bridal Veil Falls and a couple others, but right now you may see 8 or more, depending on the snow melt that day.

The same is true in Zion Park, and other canyons throughout Utah. There are waterfalls all over the place.

The all will diminish in magnitude in a couple weeks, as runoff ends. By the end of summer, many will dry up completely. But right now they are putting on quite a show.

Yesterday I photographed a series of 3 little-known waterfalls along Fifth Water Creek, which is a tributary to Diamond Fork, located east of the town of Spanish Fork. The stream is normally small and the waterfalls display tranquil beauty. But not on this trip. The stream was gushing and the waterfalls were thundering.

My photos illustrate the change in mood. The top photo shows the middle waterfall along Fifth Water, during a normal year when the stream is tranquil. The bottom photo shows the same waterfall as it looked yesterday, raging and powerful. You can see more photos on my website.

If you like waterfalls, now's the time to see and photograph them. They are impressive.